Alive
by SapphireLibra3
Summary: Sweetie Belle just learned that she's not like other ponies. She's not made of flesh and blood like others. Her skeleton is made of a weird metallic like substance. Her skin and fur instantly heal when torn. Instead of blood she has wires. She doesn't know what she is, but whatever it is, it certainly isn't equine...
1. The Shooting Star

The Shooting Star

Another miscarriage. That's what Rarity heard from her father when he brought her mother home from the hospital. She was only twelve when her mother had reported that she was pregnant again, but while her parents were excited, Rarity knew better. Her mother had told her once before that she had bad luck with foals. That her body was frail, and that she shouldn't expect to have any younger siblings.

Apparently, Rarity was supposed to have a twin brother. He was going to be named "Elusive". Unfortunately there were complications and they could only save one. Rarity always felt like there was something missing in her life. After learning about twins, she asked her father if she had a twin. She wondered what he would have been like, but something inside told her that he would have been a lot like her.

Rarity knew that this would be another miscarriage. That was fine though. She didn't want another sibling anyway, not if she couldn't have her twin. She wanted to feel fulfilled, complete. If she had another sibling, a little brother or a little sister, she would just be reminded of the hole that would never be fulfilled.

But would her mother smile if she had a sister?

The child that died would have been named "Sweetie Belle". Thinking about it, it would have been nice to have a little sister she could share her stuff with, and teach how to wear make-up. It would have been nice, but it wasn't meant to be.

She was alone, and she would always be alone.

She heard her mother crying in her bedroom. Her mom was a terrible cook, loud, and embarrassing, but impossible not to love. Rarity hated the sound her mom was making, because she was usually so happy.

This isn't right, Rarity thought to herself. Mom should be smiling.

Rarity ran to her room and closed the door. Her friend Cheerilee told her that if you made an honest wish on a star then it would come true. She went to her window and looked up at the stars in the sky, trying to pick the one she wanted to tie her wish to. She saw a shooting star fly by. Weren't wishes stronger when tied to a shooting star?

Rarity closed her eyes and wished as earnestly as possible. I don't care about me, she thought, but my mom really wants a child. I wish that she could have another daughter, she wished silently. It was late, and she already ate dinner (unlike her mother, she _could_ cook), so she decided to go to bed.

She was woken up later by a crash in the distance. Rarity looked out her window and saw something glowing in the distance. It was super late now, but something told her that she had to see what was there.

She snuck out of the house and ran down the fields, past Sweet Apple Acres. She was afraid that she would have to go all the way to the Everfree Forest, and she did have to actually go inside, but not far in. She found a small crater. Was this where the shooting star landed?

Rarity approached the crater and saw something that would stay with her forever. It looked like it was made of some sort of silver material, but this shape. And it was slowly turning into...

* * *

"Mom! Dad!" Rarity called out when she ran into the house. Her father stepped out of the room first.

"Rarity honey, do you know what time it is?" her father asked as her mother walked out of the room.

"But Dad, I you have to see what I found!" Rarity said excitedly. It took a few seconds, but her parents staggered downstairs. When they saw what she brought home with them, they were wide eyed, her mother brought to tears.

"Oh my..." she said as Rarity lead her to the bundle that she brought with her. Her father was wide eyed, looking at the bundle that was now being held by his wife.

"Honey, where did you..." her dad started.

"That doesn't matter," her mother said suddenly, "We're keeping it."

"Scarcity-"

"We're keeping it," her mother said putting her foot down.

"What are we going to name her?" Rarity asked.

"What else?" her mother asked, "Her name is Sweetie Belle."


	2. Accidents

**The song I'm using here belongs to Sleepthief. All rights belong to them.**

Accidents

"Ah got mah Cutie Mark!" Apple Bloom shouted running into school. Her Cutie Mark showed a saw cutting an apple in two.

"Hey everypony, look at Apple Bloom's Cutie Mark!" another student said, catching everyone's attention. All of the students gathered around, looking at the student who was notorious for not having her Cutie Mark. They all thought that she would be the last one in the class, and she almost was.

"It isn't another fake one, is it?" Diamond Tiara said suspiciously, looking at it closely with her second in command Silver Spoon.

"I think this one is the real deal, Diamond Tiara," Silver Spoon said.

"I can't believe a blank flank like you-" Apple Bloom flicked Diamond Tiara with her tail.

"Not a blank flank anymore," Apple Bloom said haughtily. Diamond Tiara scowled and walked off, Silver Spoon following closely. The bell rang and the students dispersed, but Scootaloo trotted over to her.

"Nice, Apple Bloom!" Scootaloo said giving Apple Bloom a high hoof.

"It just came outta nowhere," Apple Bloom said, "Macintosh needed help fixin the barn, an' with Applejack takin care of Granny Smith in the hospital Ah was the only one who could help."

"And that's how it happened?" Scootaloo said as the two friends trotted into the school.

"Well, ya see, Macintosh needed ta get somethin from town, so he left me alone," Apple Bloom explained, "Ah started lookin around an' saw all the repairs that needed ta be done, so Ah jus'... took it on mahself. Before Ah knew it, Ah was done. Macintosh came back, an' saw that Ah finished on my own. Before Ah knew it, mah Cutie Mark came in."

"Well, congrats Bloom," Scootaloo said, "Two down, right?"

"Two down," Apple Bloom said, bumping flanks with Scootaloo, who had a Cutie Mark shaped like a firebird.

"So, did you tell Sweetie Belle yet?" Scootaloo asked as they walked into the classroom.

"Why would ya think that?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Well, she didn't come out with everyone else," Scootaloo said, "I mean, this is big news, and you were loud enough to get her attention."

"Ya think so?" Apple Bloom asked, looking at Sweetie Belle, who was currently writing in her notebook.

"Sweetie Belle, where were you?" Scootaloo asked, "Didn't you hear Apple Bloom? She got her Cutie Mark!"

"Yeah... I heard..." Sweetie Belle said softly. She then looked up at Apple Bloom with a smile, but it was clear that something had her upset, "I'm really happy for you Apple Bloom."

It was pretty clear then to Apple Bloom why Sweetie Belle was so upset. Now she was the last one in the class to get her Cutie Mark.

"Sweetie Belle, Ah'm sorry. Ah-"

"Why are you apologizing?" Sweetie Belle said going back to her notebook, "It's a good thing that you got your Cutie Mark. You were the one who wanted it the most. Scootaloo and I were helping you, remember?"

What she didn't tell them was that she actually wanted to her Cutie Mark just as badly as Apple Bloom. Scootaloo was actually helping _her_ before they became friends with Apple Bloom. Scootaloo had always said that she would have been okay being the last one, as long as they got theirs.

Ironic that she got her Cutie Mark first then.

Scootaloo was about to say something but the second bell rang, signalling that class was about to start. As the students all ran to their seats, Cherrilee trotted in.

"Hello class," she said cheerfully, "Before we get started, I want to congratulate Apple Bloom on getting her Cutie Mark. Later on, I'd love it if you could share your story of how you got your Cutie Mark with the class."

Apple Bloom was literally beaming. She had been dying to be able to have a story to tell.

"It would be mah pleasure!" Apple Bloom said, shooting an glance at Diamond Tiara, who turned away scowling.

"For now though, why don't you turn to page thirty-six in your history books, so we can resume the lesson from Friday."

As the students opened their books, a ball of paper hit Sweetie Belle's head. Sweetie Belle opened it, and was crestfallen.

_Blank Flank for Life_

Sweetie Belle looked over to the left end of the room, and saw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon giggling. Obviously they sent the note.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at Sweetie Belle, and then at each other. They'd have to do something about this. They were still the Cutie Mark Crusaders, after all.

* * *

"Okay, so we have a Crusader Emergency," Scootaloo said pacing back and forth through the tree house, proudly letting her much stronger wings be erect, "Three out of four Crusaders now have their Cutie Marks, thanks to intel Apple Bloom got from her cousin Babs Seed."

"Yep, she got her Cutie Mark in dancin," Apple Bloom said.

"That leaves us with just one Crusader left, and it's a founding member," Scootaloo pointed to Sweetie Belle, who was lying on the carpet with a somber smile on her face.

"You don't have to-"

"Don't wanna hear it," Scootaloo said walking over to the oddly somber unicorn, "Sweetie Belle, I'm not used to seeing you like this. You're usually the life of the par-" she stopped herself before she finished the word, which would summon the scariest force on the planet.

"What Scootaloo is tryin ta say," Apple Bloom said walking over to Sweetie Belle, "We're worried about ya. Ya haven't been yerself all day. We know yer upset cause yer the last one in the class ta have a Cutie Mark."

"I'm not upset about that," Sweetie Belle said harshly, "Really... I"m not."

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo turned to each other and sighed. Ever since the talent show last year, Sweetie Belle had become increasingly moody. At first they thought it was just hormones, as she had turned 10 around that time, and her figure started to fill out.

But when a full month went by, her mood hadn't changed much. In fact, both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo noticed her mood got _worse_ as the months went by. Seeing Scootaloo "burn a whole in the sky" and then get her Cutie Mark didn't help.

"Sweetie Belle, what's botherin ya?" Apple Bloom asked, "We're yer friends, remember?"

"Yeah, and you're an open book," Scootaloo said, "I've been your best friend since kindergarten, so I now the cues."

"Oh girls..." Sweetie Belle said, letting a tear fall from her eyes. Yep, that confirmed it. She was upset about something, "You know, when I think about it, yoru special talents were pretty obvious. Scootaloo, you've always been fast, and you idolize Rainbow Dash. Just like her, you had to break the sky, going as fast as Dash even said that you were faster than her when you did the Flameboom."

Scootaloo looked at her flank, and remembered when she broke the sound barrier herself, and set the sky ablaze.

"Apple Bloom," Sweetie Belle continued, "This tree house was your first big project, and you fixed it in only a day. Back then, you didn't think much about it, but that was amazing. All you had to do was do something really noticable and you could connect to your special talent."

Apple Bloom looked down at her Cutie Mark, once again thinking about the story of how she got her Cutie Mark. When she thought about it, it _was _obvious.

"So I thought about it," Sweetie Belle continued, "What is it that I have that ponies always remark on? My singing. I thought to myself, what if my special talent is singing?"

"You know, that _would_ make sense," Scootaloo said, "Also, you write really good lyrics."

"I know," Sweetie Belle said, her voice cracking a bit, "So one night last year, I went outside and tried to sing. I thought to myself, if I focus on how I feel when I sing, then maybe I'd see something that would lead to me getting my Cutie Mark."

"Ah understand," Apple Bloom said, "That's what happened ta me when Ah got mah Cutie Mark. It jus' sorta felt... right ya know?"

Sweetie Belle nodded, "So I sang," Sweetie Belle said, now full blown sobbing, "As I did, I focused on how I felt, but I didn't feel anything. Not a sense of fulfillment, or pride, or even a tingle on my flank. I was just empty."

"Oh Sweetie Belle," Scootaloo said looking down as Apple Bloom walked over to her nuzzling her.

"That's why ya didn't enter the talent show, isn't it?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Why should I have entered?" Sweetie Belle asked, "It wouldn't have made a difference."

"You don't know that," Scootaloo said suddenly, "Apple Bloom and I used our special talents multiple times. We had to use them to their fullest though in order for us to realize what we were good at. Tell you what, let's enter the next talent show."

"Wh-what?!" Sweetie Belle asked in shock.

"Yeah," Apple Bloom added, "We have a whole week ta prepare, an' this time Scootaloo an' Ah know our talents."

"I... I don't know..." Sweetie Belle said walking to the door, but Scootaloo flew in her way.

"Why not? What have you got to lose? Come on, we'll all enter. That way we'll be able to not only see you get your Cutie Mark, but we can show Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon not to mess with you anymore."

"But what if it doesn't work?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I'll be a blank flank forever!"

"Everypony has a special talent," Apple Bloom said, "As long as yer alive, everyone got somethin special only they can do. That's what Granny Smith taught me."

Sweetie Belle looked like she was thinking hard about what Apple Bloom said, and then sighed smiling, "I do have that new song I wrote last week. I could try performing it."

"Atta girl!" Scootaloo said patting Sweetie Belle on the back, "We can't give up! Cutie Mark Crusaders for life!"

"Cutie Mark Crusaders fer life!" Apple Bloom added. Sweetie Belle sniffed wiping her eyes and smiled at her friends.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders for life..."

* * *

"So she's going to try and get her Cutie Mark at the talent show?" Silver Spoon asked, listening to their conversation, "Diamond Tiara will want to hear about this," she continued with a sinister smile.

* * *

It took a few days to prepare, but the talent show came around really quickly, almost too quickly for Sweetie Belle. She was mainly doing this to humor her friends, but in reality, she wasn't to excited to be here. She just wanted to go back home and read her book.

"This isn't going to work..." Sweetie Belle said to herself, "I like to sing... but it's just a-"

"I can't believe _you_ of all ponies actually entered," Diamond Tiara's voice was heard. Sweetie Belle turned around and saw the pink pony trotting over to her with a taunting smile on her face.

"What do you want, Diamond Tiara?" Sweetie Belle asked with a sigh.

"It's kind of sad, you know," Diamond Tiara said trotting around Sweetie Belle, "Talent shows are so you can show _off_ your already discovered talent, yet here's somepony using it to _find_ her talent. Are you really that desperate?"

Yes, Sweetie Belle thought, but she wasn't going to answer that question, unless she wanted to be the butt of Diamond Tiara's joke.

"I feel bad for you," Diamond Tiara continued, "I heard from my daddy that everyone in the Apple Family was the last in their class to get their Cutie Marks, yet Apple Bloom beat you. It's gotta eat you up inside, knowing that she got her's before you."

"No, I'm happy for Apple Bloom," Sweetie Belle said.

"Don't pretend," Diamond Tiara said, "You're jealous. Scootaloo was trying to help you get yours, and then she went ahead and got her own Cutie Mark without you. Then Apple Bloom, the pony you were tagging along, got hers even though she was supposed to be the last one. Admit it, you were holding out for her getting hers last."

She wanted to deny it, but something deep inside knew she was right. She expected to get hers first so she and Scootaloo could help Apple Bloom get hers. It seemed like both of them went off on their own and got their Cutie Marks without her.

They left her...

"Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom called out running up to them, "Scootaloo is next-" she stopped and frowned when she saw who Sweetie Belle was talking to, "What's _she_ doin here?"

"Oh don't be like that, Apple Bloom," Diamond Tiara said walking past the filly, "I was just talking to Sweetie Belle about getting her Cutie Mark. Figured I'd help out, since she's the last one in the class."

"Right, next Ah'm gonna shoot lasers outta mah eyes," Apple Bloom said sarcastically, "Ah bet you were jus' tauntin her 'bout her bein the last one in the class."

Diamond Tiara laughed walking away, "What a way to rub it in, Apple Bloom."

Sweetie Belle looked down in sadness as Apple Bloom realized what she had said, "Sweetie Belle, Ah'm sorry Ah-"

"Why don't we go see Scootaloo's act," Sweetie Belle said walking away. Apple Bloom sighed and followed after her. When they got outside, they heard the audience gasp in amazement as Scootaloo flew high in the sky, doing loops and acrobatics much like her idol Rainbow Dash would.

"Ta think," Apple Bloom said, "She didn't know how ta fly at all last year. Now she's on par with Rainbow Dash."

"Yeah... it's really something..." Sweetie Belle said, her heart feeling heavy as she saw the serene expression on her face. It was the same everypony looked when they were doing their heart's desire.

That feeling alluded her.

"Sweetie Belle, yer gonna get there too," Apple Bloom said, "After this, you'll see."

"I hope so. I just... Apple Bloom, have you ever felt like there was something else you were supposed to do?"

"Somethin... else?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Yeah. Like everything you're doing: playing, helping your family, even schoolwork, all of it is just a waste of time, and you're supposed to be doing something else?"

"Ah always feel like that 'bout school," Apple Bloom said with a laugh, "Why? Is that how ya feel?"

"Sort of... yeah..." Sweetie Belle said sadly, "Something is wrong with me. I feel like even just sitting here is a waste of time. Not to say I don't like spending time with you, Apple Bloom, but I keep feeling like there's something I'm supposed to be doing."

"Ah think yer over thinkin it," Apple Bloom said, "You'll feel better after ya get yer Cutie Mark."

"Yeah... maybe..." Sweetie Belle said looking down. Well, she thought, I tried.

Scootaloo flew high up in the sky as fast as she could. At first she vanished, unable to be seen, but all of a sudden there was an explosion, and a ring of fire grew in the sky. That was the Flameboom, Scootaloo's equivalent of the Sonic Rainboom performed by Rainbow Dash.

Everypony was applauding loudly as Scootaloo landed on the stage. Rainbow Dash flew straight up to Scootaloo and hugged her tightly.

"Did you see me, Dash?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yeah kid, I saw," Rainbow Dash said, actually crying a bit, "I'm so proud of you."

Sweetie Belle looked into the audience and saw her older sister, Rarity, sitting next to Apple Bloom's sister Applejack. Rarity turned to Sweetie Belle and smiled warmly. She returned the smile, and then began trotted over to the stage as Cherrilee went to introduce her.

"That was an explosive act," Cheerilee said, "I'm personally hoping our next act isn't _as_ exciting. Here to perform a song she wrote herself, is Sweetie Belle."

Sweetie Belle took a deep breath, and walked out to the stage. Hopefully her friends were right. Maybe this would matter more than just singing out loud at night.

"You got it set up, right?" Diamond Tiara asked Silver Spoon.

"It'll fall right as she's finishing her song," Silver Spoon said, "This is going to be perfect."

"I'll get a seat," Diamond Tiara said turning around, "Give me a good show, Spoony."

"As always," Silver Spoon said, watching Diamond Tiara as she trotted away. Anything to stay in her light. She'd even ride with the devil if she had to.

"I can do this," Sweetie Belle said to herself, "Let them know your talent."

_No... this isn't right..._

She shook the thought out of her head and focused on the song.

_Touch my heart  
Her beauty sways the gods  
A gift of loving days_

_I've lost you, my lovely_  
_In the depths of an ocean_  
_My blind faith_  
_You follow me with your hope and devotion_

_I sing to your freedom_  
_I'm lost to release you_  
_No heaven waits for you my sweet_  
_I'll follow your demise to hell and beyond_

_I'm given the chance to lead you home_  
_No looking back, no way to know_  
_The light is ahead, we're moving slow_  
_Approaching life, where you will be whole_  
_but..._

_I've lost you, my lovely_  
_In the depths of an ocean_  
_My blind faith_  
_I follow you with my hope and devotion_

_I'll sing for your freedom_  
_I'm lost to release you_  
_No heaven waits for us my sweet_  
_I'll follow your demise to hell and beyond_

_We will meet again_  
_In life or in death_

_Touch, my heart beats_  
_And beauty sways_  
_My life, a song of longing days_

_I found you, my lovely_  
_In the depths of an ocean_  
_A story together of hope and devotion_

_I found you, my lovely  
In the depths of an ocean  
A story forever of hope and devotion _

As her song ended, the music faded out, and she was greeted by a loud applause. She looked out at her sister, Rarity, and saw that she was crying. Looked like she really enjoyed it. Sweetie Belle stepped forward a bit and bowed, feeling a sense of pride.

But little of anything else...

"Show's over, blank flank!" Silver Spoon said, hitting the rope next to her. Above, a sandbag came a loose and crashed down onto the stage. There was a slight miscalculation though.

Sweetie Belle wasn't supposed to step forward...

As such, the sandbag fell down on top of the filly on the stage.

"That... wasn't supposed to happen..." Silver Spoon said backing away.

The sandbag didn't fall on her back thankfully, but her front left leg was badly hurt. Yet, something was odd. Shouldn't something like that hurt a bit more?

"Sweetie Belle! Sweetie Belle!" Rarity called out running up to her with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo next to her.

"Rarity, I'm fine," Sweetie Belle said, even though her leg was still crushed under the sandbag.

"Fine?! FINE?!" Scootaloo shouted, "Your leg is crushed!"

"Applejack! Help me get her free!" Apple Bloom called out.

"On it!" Applejack said galloping to the stage. The two earth pony sisters lifted the sandbag slowly, so Sweetie Belle could be pulled out by her sister. As her leg was pulled free though, she saw something strange. Something that would stay with her forever.

Her skin and fur were ripped a bit, leaving a hole. A _sparking _hole.

Sweetie Belle looked at the odd looking cut in horror as her skin automatically pulled itself back together, as if the oddly small injury wasn't even there.

"Huh, that's odd," Scootaloo said, oblivious to the look of sheer shock on the unicorn filly's face, "She's not hurt."

"Well, it is sand," Apple Bloom said, "Ah don't think it would leave _too _much of a bruise."

"But it should have left something," Scootaloo said, "Sweetie Belle, how do you feel?"

"I... I'm fine..." Sweetie Belle lied, "Really..."

"Sweetie Belle," Rarity asked, "Are you sure-"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Sweetie Belle screamed as Rarity went to help her up. Rarity stepped back as she shouted, and Sweetie Belle became all to aware that the crowd was looking at her, "I... need to go!" Sweetie Belle then ran off.

"Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom called out, about to run after her, but Applejack held her hoof out stopping her. She needed some serious alone time. As they watched her run off, Rarity bit her lip looking away.

* * *

When Sweetie Belle was alone, she looked down at her hoof. What was all of that? It looked like the inside of a machine, but she wasn't a machine, was she?

"What am I..." she asked herself, her entire body trembling.


	3. Just Like a Clock

Just Like a Clock

"I can't believe how bad that got..." Silver Spoon said as she and Diamond Tiara trotted through Ponyville.

"What are you talking about? She wasn't seriously hurt," Diamond Tiara said airily.

"No, but she could have been. We just wanted to scare her, not hurt her," Silver Spoon said with a groan.

"So, what do you want to do?" Diamond Tiara asked.

"For starters, we're going to apologize to Sweetie Belle," Silver Spoon said, for the first time catching Diamond Tiara's full attention.

"What?! Spoony!"

"Miss Cheerilee already knows, that's why I had detention after school."

"But... apologizing to _her_..."

Silver Spoon stopped and turned to Diamond Tiara, "Don't you feel at all bad about hurting her?"

"Well... okay I don't like it, but an apology isn't going to be enough."

"No... it isn't..." Silver Spoon said looking away, "But it's a start."

Silver Spoon turned and continued onward to their destination. Diamond Tiara was always amazed with Silver Spoon's drive. Their relationship was something of a symbiotic one, as Silver Spoon wasn't very brave, but was really smart. Diamond Tiara knew that she was the opposite, being really brave but not the smartest. That was okay though. She didn't need to be smart. She just needed to protect her precious Silver Spoon. She focused on fighting, while Silver Spoon did the thinking.

_Don't ever leave me Spoony..._

To the pink pony's surprise, they were at the front door of Carousel Boutique. When she said "apologize" did she mean today?

Silver Spoon rang the door bell, and the two fillies waited. Those ten seconds were the longest ten seconds in Diamond Tiara's life, but soon Sweetie Belle's older sister Rarity opened the door.

"Oh, Silver Spoon," Rarity said, "This is a nice surprise. And you brought your friend Diamond Tiara."

"Y-yeah," Silver Spoon said with a bow, "Um... did Miss Cheerilee tell you about..."

"Yes, she did," Rarity said with pursed lips, "I'll assume you received a lecture from her and your parents already?" Silver Spoon nodded, shrinking under Rarity's intense gaze. Diamond Tiara stepped forward on instinct, having to stop herself from retaliating in defense of Silver Spoon, "Well, then I see no reason to make you feel worse. You seem genuinely sorry."

"I am, really," Silver Spoon said. Diamond Tiara immediately calmed down, as her princess wasn't in danger.

"Good, Sweetie Belle is upstairs right now, but you're welcome to come in," Rarity said.

"Thank you, Miss Rarity," Silver Spoon said, hitting Diamond Tiara's foreleg to get her attention.

"Yeah, thank you Miss Rarity," Diamond Tiara said with a little more trouble, as she wasn't as polite as Silver Spoon. It wasn't her job to be polite though. She had to protect her princess. She could do the talking for them.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walked into the shop and saw an older unicorn sitting on the couch. She looked a bit like Rarity, but oddly not a lot like Sweetie Belle. This must have been Rarity's mother.

"Sweetie Belle is upstairs," Rarity said, "Why don't the two of you go on up?"

"S-sure," Silver Spoon said, Diamond Tiara just eyeing the older mare as they walked upstairs. This was the first time she had ever seen Sweetie Belle's parents, so this came as a surprise. Was Sweetie Belle adopted?

* * *

Sweetie Belle was glad that she was allowed to stay home from school. She wasn't physically hurt, but Rarity insisted that she stay home. She wasn't complaining though. After what she saw, she wasn't sure if she could handle being in school. Not right now at least.

Was it a dream? No, Rarity mentioned the sandbag falling, and her leg getting caught inside. That part happened. So did that mean the weird injury she saw was real too?

She secretly borrowed a knife so she could get to the bottom of this. If what she saw was real, then she needed to get a better look at it. Using her magic, she picked up the knife and held it to her front left leg. She would make a clean cut and peel back some of the skin so she could get a better look at her insides.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Sweetie Belle dropped the knife screaming.

"Sweetie Belle? I-it's us. C-can we come in?"

That sounded like Silver Spoon, and she said "we". Was Diamond Tiara with her? Why were they here? Sweetie Belle knew that Silver Spoon was the one who rigged the sandbag to fall, but it was probably meant to fall in front of her. It did have "blank flank" on it, and she stepped forward, so it was mostly her fault.

Still though, why did they come here?

"We w-won't make fun of you," Silver Spoon said, "Um... cross m-my heart and hope to f-fly... stick a cupcake i-in my e-eye."

Was Silver Spoon stuttering? She didn't talk much. Was that why? Either way, she made a Pinkie Promise. It didn't matter who you were, you _never_ broke a Pinkie Promise. They were still looking for the last stallion who broke a Pinkie Promise, and that was YEARS ago.

Sweetie Belle stood up and walked to the door. She opened it slowly, taking a look outside. Silver Spoon smiled awkwardly, but Diamond Tiara was looking away seriously. There was something more... genuine about them right now.

"Um... c-can we come in?" Silver Spoon asked. Before Sweetie Belle could answer, Diamond Tiara pushed the door opened and walked inside.

"Uh, hold on!" Sweetie Belle said.

"Don't mind her..." Silver Spoon said.

"You're stutter," Sweetie Belle said, "It's gone."

"Oh, you noticed," Silver Spoon said looking down, "I tend to d-do that w-when I'm nervous..."

"I'm the only one she doesn't stutter to," Diamond Tiara said looking around, "This is actually a nice room. I may have been wrong about you."

"Um, why are you two here?" Sweetie Belle asked harshly, "You two hate me."

"We don't hate you," Silver Spoon said, "A-actually... I wanted to apologize... for last night."

"You mean Miss Cheerilee wanted you to apologize, right?" Sweetie Belle asked. She was about to poke Silver Spoon, but Diamond Tiara put her hoof on Sweetie Belle's and glared at her. This was a different Diamond Tiara than she was used to. All of a sudden, Sweetie Belle lost all bravado.

"I know that it seems th-that way, but I c-came here by m-myself..." Silver Spoon said looking down in shame, "All I w-wanted w-was to scare you... I d-didn't mean to hurt y-you..."

"Oh, I guess I sort of figured that..." Sweetie Belle said with a sigh, "And truth is, Diamond Tiara was right. I am jealous of Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. They keep calling themselves Cutie Mark Crusaders, but they have their Cutie Marks. They left me..."

Silver Spoon frowned and then turned to Diamond Tiara, "You were right to be concerned."

"You're smarter than me, doesn't mean I can't think on my own. I just need you for... the complicated stuff."

Seeing these two like this was weird. They didn't seem like horrible ponies. They just seemed really complicated.

"You were concerned... about me?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Look, I don't think they left you," Diamond Tiara said, "Apple Bloom is-"

"It doesn't matter anyway!" Sweetie Belle shouted, "The talent show didn't work, singing didn't work last year, you two are right! I'll be a blank flank for life! There, I said it! Are you happy?!"

She didn't think she was going to cry again, but here she was, bawling her eyes out. Worse of all, it was in front of the two biggest bullies in Ponyville academy. Now they were going to rub it in and make it even worse.

Silver Spoon put a hoof on her back. It was oddly comforting. Sweetie Belle opened her eyes and saw Silver Spoon smiling softly.

"I am _so _sorry that we hurt you," Silver Spoon said, "If we can make it up to you in any way, we will."

Sweetie Belle never thought she would feel comfort from being with Silver Spoon, but somehow her smile brought her at ease. Something was telling Sweetie Belle that she could trust her.

"Why is there a knife in your room?" Diamond Tiara asked, catching Sweetie Belle off guard. Oh Faust... she left the knife right there.

"Um... well uh..."

"Sweetie, you weren't going to hurt yourself, were you?" Silver Spoon asked.

"Well, uh..." she was panicking. All of a sudden she remembered what why she was so upset. It wasn't because of their prank, or her friends getting their Cutie Marks first. It was because she was...

She heard shouting downstairs. Remembering that her mom came over to visit, she felt compelled to hear what they were shouting about. She stepped out to the stairs, listening hard to the argument.

"Rarity, keep it down!" her mother said, "She'll hear."

"I feel like she might as well hear!" Rarity screamed, "I can't keep this secret from her!"

"What would you tell her? Do _you_ know what she is?"

"She's my sister! No matter what, we'll figure it out, but after last night-"

"Did she see anything?" her mother asked.

"I don't think so, but it was too close! I can't keep lying to her!"

"Lying to me..." Sweetie Belle asked, "What is she lying to me about...?"

Sweetie Belle backed away from the stairs, and for the first time was aware that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were listening as well.

"Sweetie Belle, what are they talking about?" Silver Spoon asked.

"You know, right?" Diamond Tiara asked, "That's why you ran off last night. You saw something, didn't you?"

Sweetie Belle closed her eyes trembling, "I can't do this alone..." she said, realizing that she had to know for certain what they were talking about, but she didn't want to do this on her own. Sadly, the only ponies with her were these two.

She had no choice.

"Can't do what alone?" Diamond Tiara asked. Sweetie Belle pulled them into her room and closed the door.

"You two have to Pinkie Promise not to tell anypony about this!" Sweetie Belle demanded.

"Wait, _another _Pinkie Promise?!" Diamond Tiara asked, "Spoony, my life is in serious jeopardy if this keeps up!"

"Diamond, I think she's serious," Silver Spoon stated, "What did you see?"

"I'll show you, but only if you Pinkie Promise not to tell anypony! Not my sister, not your parents, not any of the adults, not even Apple Bloom and Scootaloo!"

Both of the fillies looked at each other, nodded, and then did the motions, "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"

Sweetie Belle hated using the Pinkie Promise like this, but it was a good way to ensure that this stayed a secret. Using her magic, she held the knife and gave it to them, "One of you needs to take this."

"What do we do with it?" Silver Spoon asked.

"You have to cut into my leg, and peel back the skin," Sweetie Belle said.

"What?! Ew, no way!" Diamond Tiara protested, "Are you trying to kill yourself?! Because I am not going to become a murderer!"

"I'm not going to die. I saw something last night, and I need to get a better look at it. Please, I can't do this alone."

Diamond Tiara closed her eyes, and then took the knife into her mouth, "Spoony, hold her leg out."

"Diamond?"

"She's serious, and I like that," Diamond Tiara said, "So I want to see this thing. Hold her leg out for me."

Silver Spoon sighed, and took Sweetie Belle's foreleg. Diamond Tiara took a deep breath, and brought the knife to Sweetie Belle's leg. Oddly, there wasn't any blood. Shouldn't there be some?

Diamond Tiara cut a bit more through Sweetie Belle's leg, and then pulled the skin back. It did hurt a bit, but not as much as what she saw inside.

"Oh my Faust..." Silver Spoon said slowly.

"I... I..." Sweetie Belle said trembling.

Diamond Tiara was frowning, her eyes wide in shock, but she didn't let go of the knife.

Her leg was metallic. And there were wires and lights.

"What... are you...?" Diamond Tiara asked.

"I don't..." Sweetie Belle said, now able to admit that what she was seeing was real.

"My..." Silver Spoon said, noticing that Diamond Tiara was about to put the knife down, "Don't yet."

"Why not?" Diamond Tiara asked, the knife still in her mouth.

"Look," Silver Spoon pointed to the side of the cut, where it looked like the skin was trying to fix itself, "I think the knife is the only thing keeping it open," she looked at Sweetie Belle, "Can I touch it?"

Sweetie Belle nodded slowly, and Silver Spoon ran her other fore hoof carefully over the revealed spot. It felt weird, but it was even weirder knowing that Silver Spoon was touching her "bones".

"It feels like metal," Silver Spoon said, "This is some sort of steel."

"It sort of reminds me of a clock," Diamond Tiara said, "Our clock broke once, and when it was opened up, it looked a bit like this."

"I'm not a clock..." Sweetie Belle said softly.

"Well clearly," Diamond Tiara said, "But you're something similar. I bet whatever your sister and mom are fighting about, this is it."

"No..." Sweetie Belle said, backing away from them and allowing the cut to heal instantly, "I'm not a clock... I'm not a clock!"

"Sweetie Belle, don't scream," Silver Spoon said, "You don't want to let them know that you-"

"But I'm not a clock!" Sweetie Belle said, "I'm a living, breathing pony!"

"Sweetie Belle," Diamond Tiara said putting the knife down, "It's okay. You're right, you're not a clock. But then what are you?"

"I don't know!" Sweetie Belle cried, "I don't know..."

She collapsed onto the floor and cried. For the first time, she was happy to have these two with her. They weren't so bad when they weren't making fun of you.

* * *

After making sure she calmed down, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon stayed with her for a few hours until it got dark. Diamond Tiara herself wanted to stay. Silver Spoon wasn't complaining, but it was still out of her usual character.

"She's something," Diamond Tiara said, "Something out of this world."

"What are we going to do?" Silver Spoon asked, "We can't tell anyone."

"We're going to figure out what she is," Diamond Tiara said, shocking Silver Spoon.

"But why? I mean, I'm curious too, but it isn't our business."

"What are you talking about?" Diamond Tiara said turning to Silver Spoon, "She confided in us. The second you put something important in the hooves of another, you bring them into your life. Sweetie Belle is one of us now, and I have to help her. Besides," Diamond Tiara looked out into the sunset seriously, "She's still a blank flank."

"Diamond-"

"I hate blank flanks. If her destiny has something to do with those wires in her leg, then I'm going to help her realize it. A blank flank is a sign of weakness," Diamond Tiara said darkly.

She then trotted down the street, on her way to her mansion. It always saddened her to see that side of Diamond Tiara. She was usually so beautiful and bright, but when she thought of her past, and how it connected to blank flanks, she got so dark.

"Diamond Tiara, my knight," Silver Spoon said softly, "I wish I could cure your pain."

She ran after her beloved knight, and continued to follow her to their mansions. Of course, her noble knight got her to her mansion first, even though it was out of her way.

Silver Spoon was truly her princess.


	4. Sweetie Belle's Secret

Sweetie Belle's Secret

The days went by rather slowly for Sweetie Belle, who had become more sensitive since the day she, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon saw the weird wires in her leg. She had started having weird dreams too, seeing places that she hadn't ever seen before, but in the dreams she remembered them vividly.

Oddly enough, she always had dried tears on her face when she had those dreams.

Her friends were worried about her. She hadn't been her usual cheerful self. Instead she had been rather moody and somber. Just like right now, as the school day ended. Her friends were animated as usual, trying to help her get her Cutie Mark.

_Tsk, why do they care? They have theirs._

"So singing wasn't it..." Scootaloo said hovering next to her friends with her forelegs crossed.

"That's weird though," Apple Bloom said, "Ah was so sure. Singin is the one thing Ah know she's good at."

"Well, she clearly has another special talent," Scootaloo said, "I mean, that was a beautiful song she sang. If it wasn't for the incident she would have taken first prize."

"You know, I'd _appreciate_ it if you two didn't talk about me in the third person," Sweetie Belle said, catching her "friends'" attention, "Hi, remember me?"

"Sorry Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom said, "Scoot an' Ah jus' got so caught up talkin."

"Yeah, I bet it's real easy to lose yourself with each other now that you two have your Cutie Marks," Sweetie Belle accused, tears forming in her eyes, "I guess you two don't need me anymore!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Scootaloo said, "Where is all of this coming from? Apple Bloom said sorry."

"Then when it happens again you'll say sorry then too," Sweetie Belle fussed, "Then eventually you'll stop saying sorry and I'll just disappear."

"Aw Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom said, as Sweetie Belle was now sobbing loudly, "Ya ain't gotta worry about that. Yer our friend."

"What's wrong, Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo asked, "This has to be more than just your Cutie Mark."

It was, but she wasn't about to share that with them. How would they react if they learned that Sweetie Belle was some sort of sentient clock?

"Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I have to go," Sweetie Belle said getting up and picking up her saddlebag.

"Go? Go where?" Scootaloo asked.

"We were gonna try an' help ya-"

"Not today. I have... something else I need to do today. Look, I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay?"

With that Sweetie Belle rushed out of the classroom. She knew that her "friends" thought she was being weird, like she was on her period or something (she wasn't even sure she could have that now), but she didn't have it in her to explain things to them.

When she got to the bridge, she made sure that she was by herself. Once confirmed, she walked over to the edge of the bridge and cried, allowing her tears to fill the lake underneath. She had cried more in the last three days then she had ever done in her infancy, she was sure. If she was a clock, how did she even _have_ an infancy? How did she grow?

"What... am... I?!" she sobbed.

After a few seconds, she felt somepony put a hoof on her back. At first she thought it was Scootaloo, but she was relieved to see Diamond Tiara standing there.

"Sorry I'm a little late," Diamond Tiara said, "Silver Spoon needed help with the books."

"Diamond..." Sweetie Belle said, doing the one thing she never thought she would do. She embraced the pink filly. Diamond Tiara rubbed her back a bit to comfort her, and then looked into her eyes with a smile.

"We're going to get to the bottom of this, okay?" Diamond Tiara asked. Sweetie Belle nodded and the two fillies trotted to Silver Spoon's mansion, not knowing about the filly that was watching them from a distance.

"What's Sweetie Belle doin with Diamond Tiara...?" Apple Bloom asked.

* * *

"Diamond Tiara, are we friends now?" Sweetie Belle asked Diamond Tiara as they walked.

"I don't know," Diamond Tiara said looking away, "Silver Spoon considers you a friend, but that's a little more complicated for me."

"You don't have other friends besides Silver Spoon?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Silver Spoon is all that I need," Diamond Tiara said, "She's my special one."

"You mean, like your special somepony?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Yeah, something like that I guess," Diamond Tiara said softly. They were silent for a while, until Sweetie Belle built up the courage to speak again.

"I remember when you came to my house. You were ready to tear my arm off if I had hurt her."

"I'd do that to anyone who hurt my precious Silver Spoon," Diamond Tiara said with conviction that scared Sweetie Belle, "It doesn't matter who it is: adult, child, even the princesses, if any of them hurt _my_ princess I'd kill them."

The scary thing was, Sweetie Belle believed her. The look in her eyes, the lack of hesitation, she'd probably murder her own parents if they did anything to hurt Silver Spoon. This filly was scary.

"You must really care about her," Sweetie Belle said.

"I love her with my whole heart and soul," Diamond Tiara stated simply, "Do you find it weird, someone my age being in love so strongly?"

"Well, it's a little overwhelming, but I think that's kind of cool," Sweetie Belle said honestly, "_You're_ cool, you know, when you aren't putting down other ponies for not having their Cutie Marks."

Diamond Tiara laughed, an oddly pleasant sound. Like this, it was like she was a completely different pony, if not a bit of a sociopath. Sweetie Belle was happy that she was on her side, because this filly would truly be a dangerous enemy. She wondered what kind of adult she'd grow up into.

"Diamond, what if I can't get a Cutie Mark?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"What makes you think you can't?" Diamond Tiara asked.

"Well, you said that I'm like a clock, right? If that's true, then I'm not a real pony. What if I'm fake? Then I can't get a-"

"Stop," Diamond Tiara said cutting her off, "You're not fake."

"But you saw the wires in my leg. What if I'm-"

"I don't want to hear that. I don't know what you are, but you're real, and if you're real and a pony, then you can get a Cutie Mark. We just need to first understand what makes you different. Once we understand that, then we'll know exactly how to get your special talent."

"But if I can't? What then?"

Diamond Tiara stood in front of her and placed a hoof on her shoulder, "If it comes to that, and by _some _horrible chance you can't get a Cutie Mark, then I'll draw a musical note on your flank myself!"

"Diamond Tiara, why-"

"Because blank flanks are weak!" Diamond Tiara shouted, startling Sweetie Belle, "Not having a Cutie Mark means you don't contribute to society, that you have no purpose! I can tell though, after what happened Monday, you are _not_ weak, and I'm going to help you show your strength."

As she spoke, her eyes watered a bit, and after she was done, she quickly turned around and began trotting to Silver Spoon's mansion. Sweetie Belle felt like she understood Diamond Tiara a bit better now, but she could tell that she was sad. For whatever reason, she took every lack of A Cutie Mark personally.

Someone in so much pain, yet when she thought of Silver Spoon, she seemed so peaceful, yet oddly violent about keeping that peace.

"Thank you for your help," Sweetie Belle said to herself before running after the filly.

* * *

"Silver Spoon, you're friends are here!" Silver Spoon's mother, Pure Platinum, called out. A few seconds later the filly in question galloped downstairs.

"Thanks mommy!" Silver Spoon said sweetly. Her mother leaned down and kissed her daughter on the cheek before walking back into the kitchen, "I'm glad you guys got here."

"Thanks again for inviting me over," Sweetie Belle said looking down.

"Hey, you're one of us now," Silver Spoon said, "You're always welcome through those doors."

"One of..." Sweetie Belle said, "Am I really...?" she looked at Diamond Tiara, who closed her eyes smiling.

"Whatever my princess wants, I support," Diamond Tiara said. That made Sweetie Belle happy, but it did confuse her a bit. She was always under the impression that Diamond Tiara was the leader and Silver Spoon followed her. That statement made Sweetie Belle wonder if one truly followed the other.

"So, about what I found out," Silver Spoon stated, leading the two fillies to her room, which was larger than _two _of Sweetie Belle's room.

"Yeah, did you learn what I am?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Well, sort of. Not in the sense of actually knowing your species, but I have a major theory. How it's possible though, I don't know."

"Not making too much sense, Spoony," Diamond Tiara said.

"Well, my theory is the only thing that makes sense, but if I'm right then you, Sweetie Belle, are something that should only exists in fantasy books."

That scared Sweetie Belle a bit, but it also intrigued her.

"So, what did you find?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Well, when I didn't find anything in history books, or books on species, I thought back to something I read a long time ago," Silver Spoon went over to her bed and hesitated, "Um... this is a big secret, so you can't tell anyone I like these..."

Silver Spoon pulled out a thick book. It looked like a comic book, but the pictures inside were black and white. On the cover, was a picture of two armored warriors fighting. The main character was a white alicorn mare wearing blue armor, her front left hoof being a cannon of some sort. The top cover read "MEGA MARE MEGAMIX".

"Mega Mare? Seriously?" Diamond Tiara asked, "Um, honey? You do know that's fake, right?"

"Ugh, I _know_, Diamond," Silver Spoon said, "But I couldn't find anything in the other books. Besides, the things in Sweetie Belle's leg remind me of what's inside Waltz," when both fillies raised their eyebrows, Silver Spoon rolled her eyes, "Her name before she became Mega Mare."

"Oh..." both Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara nodded in acceptance as Silver Spoon opened the book. She then set the book down on the floor and pointed to a page in the back.

"Look familiar?" Silver Spoon asked, showing them a picture of Mega Mare, that was cut in half showing her insides on the left side.

"It looks sort of like Sweetie Belle," Diamond Tiara said, "A little more primitive, but similar."

"You see, I think that Sweetie Belle here, is what ponies who write science fiction stories call a 'robot'," Silver Spoon said.

"Um, I don't read these kind of books," Sweetie Belle said, "What's a robot?"

"Well, a robot is a machine that acts on its own and carries out a specific task," Silver Spoon explained, "typically, they're tools meant to be used by ponies. Sometimes they're even made in the form of ponies, and are designed to act as equine as possible."

"So... am I a tool?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I'm not real?"

"Oh, I'm sure you're real," Silver Spoon said, "Because when I looked at Mega Mare again, I realized that there are other types of robots. In particular, I think you're something called an 'android', which is a robot meant to actually _be _equine. Unlike a regular robot, which only mimics emotions, an android has real emotions."

"But how do you know that my emotions are real?" Sweetie Belle asked, "What if I'm just following some order given to me by whoever or _whatever_ made me?"

Silver Spoon looked at Diamond Tiara, both of them not sure how to answer that.

"Well, I'd assume any robot made to pretend to be a pony would be pretty obvious," Diamond Tiara said.

"However, now I'm curious," Silver Spoon said, "If you are a robot, which we have to assume at the moment, then you _were_ made for a specific purpose."

"Would a purpose be like a special talent?" Diamond Tiara asked.

"Well, sort of," Silver Spoon closed her book, "You see, a robot is still fundamentally a machine, even if it's an android. As such, it's made for a specific reason. If we imagine that each pony has a specific reason why they're born, then yeah. A special talent _could_ be interpreted as a purpose."

"Because whatever the robot's purpose is, it would be able to do that the best, right?" Diamond Tiara asked, getting a nod from Silver Spoon, "Then that's it. We have to figure out why you were made."

Sweetie Belle turned to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon in shock.

"Why I was made?"

"You want to know, right?" Diamond Tiara asked, Sweetie Belle nodding, "Then that's what we'll do. We'll figure out what kind of robot you are, and when we do, you can follow your purpose."

"Will I get my Cutie Mark if I follow my purpose?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"I'm sure of it," Diamond Tiara said, "But you have to Pinkie Promise to follow it no matter what it is. Even if it's something weird."

"Diamond, are you sure that-" Silver Spoon began.

"Why shouldn't she? She's still a a pony like us, and whoever made her obviously made her to do something here. So Sweetie Belle, do you Pinkie Promise to follow your purpose?"

Sweetie Belle took a deep breath, and then did the ritual, "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Diamond Tiara nodded in acceptance, "Perfect. Starting tomorrow, let's start searching for your purpose."

That caught Sweetie Belle off guard, "Tomorrow? Why not today?"

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked at each other giggling, making Sweetie Belle a little nervous. It was okay though, because she actually had a lot of fun with them. After a make over, working on their homework together (Diamond Tiara was really bad at math), and finally getting in contact with her sister so she could sleep over, it was offical.

These two were her friends now.

* * *

**Planet wide scan complete**

**Preparing drones for retrieval of GXT-5026**

**Initiating landing ****procedure**

**Drones are to report diectly to Mother 1 should weapon be captured or any issues occur**

**Ending transmission**


	5. Sisterly Intervention

Sisterly Intervention

_"Papa, where are we going?!" she asked as the older man pulled her to a section of their lab she didn't even know existed._

_"They're going to catch us unless we leave the planet!" Papa said, "I have a ship ready for launch, but we have to leave soon or else-" he was cut off by an explosion in front of him. The teenage girl pulled him back just in time and used her body as a shield, protecting him from the explosion, "Lumina, thank you."_

_Lumina smiled proudly, and the two of them continued down another pathway. At the end of the passage, they saw a strange aircraft. It was dark blue, and looked almost alien, as it had a lot of sharp ridges. It was also huge._

_"Normally something like this would require an entire crew," Papa said, "But I have devised a method that will allow me to pilot this entire ship by myself."_

_"Papa..." Lumina said as her father began typing on a computer next to the ship. Commotion was heard behind them, telling Lumina that their pursuers were following them. Whether it was from the Agency or not she couldn't tell, but she wasn't going to let them hurt Papa anymore._

_Lumina stepped forward, her normally light green eyes turning red, "Entering emergency combat mode!" she shouted, about to slam her fists together, but Papa put a hand on her shoulder stopping her, "Papa?"_

_"Not this time, Lumina. I need you to get on the ship," Papa said._

_"But Papa-"_

_"No buts," Papa said, kissing her forehead. Something told Lumina that something really bad was about to happen, "Now, get inside the ship, and no matter what, do not come out."_

_"What about-" before she could finish, Papa pushed Lumina into the front door and closed it. She turned around and banged on the door, "Papa! What are you doing?! You have to get inside too!"_

_He wouldn't listen though. Either he couldn't hear her, or he refused to answer. All Lumina could do was watch as her father put some sort of helmet on his head and sat down. It looked like he was downloading something from his brain. Why now though? She didn't understand?_

_After a few seconds, she saw a sight that made her mechanical heart stop. Papa's body fell down limb, and refused to move._

_"Papa? Papa, what's wrong? Papa?!" Lumina cried, now banging furiously as the door exploded open. She couldn't see who it was through the smoke, but someone went over to her father's body and picked it up. No... she could finally see them. They were going to take him and..._

_"Papa, no! Get up!" she continued banging on the door, trying to open it, but the door wouldn't budge, even against her. It was too late, he was..._

"PAPA!" Sweetie Belle screamed, waking up from yet another nightmare, this one worse than any of the others. Almost immediately Rarity ran into her room frantic.

"Sweetie Belle? What's wrong?" Rarity asked running to her sister's side.

"Papa... Papa..." Sweetie Belle sobbed, unable to say anything else. Rarity put her forelegs around Sweetie Belle comfortingly.

"Shhh... It's okay, Sweetie Belle," Rarity said softly, "Whatever you saw, it's only a dream. I'm here, okay?" even still, Sweetie Belle continued to cry. She didn't know who he was, _what_ he was, nor could she see his face, but she missed him.

_I couldn't save him..._

* * *

"Thanks for coming," Cheerilee said escorting Rarity into her office.

"Of course, I'm just glad you called me," Rarity said sitting down, "I didn't know it was this serious."

Cheerilee sighed, "I'm afraid I just don't know what to do anymore. Her mood isn't improving at all. In fact, it's getting worse."

"She hasn't gotten into any fights, as she?" Rarity asked.

"Nothing physical thankfully," Cheerilee said, "But she has lashed out at a few of the students."

"What about Apple Bloom and Scootaloo?" Rarity asked, "Has she said anything to them?"

"That's something else that's weird," Cheerilee said, "She hasn't been spending nearly as much time with them as usual."

"That's odd," Rarity said, "She hasn't been coming home any earlier, and two weeks ago she said she was spending the night at a friend's house. I don't see her lying to me, but..."

"Actually, I have a solution to where she's been," Cheerilee said nervously.

"Well?"

"She made me promise not to tell, but..." Cheerilee pulled the curtain of her window up and Rarity saw Sweetie Belle, sitting with the last ponies she thought she'd ever play with.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

"She's been spending time with them?" Rarity asked.

"I assumed you knew already," Cheerilee said.

"Well, I know that they spent some time together after Silver Spoon apologized for the sandbag incident, but I didn't know that they were friends."

Now that Rarity looked at it, she did think it was odd when Sweetie Belle started wearing earrings. She almost had a heart attack until she saw they were clip on. Were they the ones who gave them to her?

"Has anything happened around the house? How is she at home?" Cheerilee asked.

"Well, she's pretty much her usual self, but she _does_ spend a lot of time in her room nowadays," Rarity said, "Though, something really upsetting happened last night."

"Oh?"

"Well, she had a nightmare. She's been having them for a while now, but this one was the worse one," Rarity stated, "She woke up in tears, and she kept saying 'papa' over and over."

"Papa..." Cheerilee thought hard about that.

"She seemed pretty much okay when she got up in the morning," Rarity continued, "I was going to have her stay home, but she insisted on coming to school."

"Rarity, is it okay if I ask you a personal question?" Cheerilee asked.

"Um, I guess so," Rarity stated.

"Is Sweetie Belle adopted?"

Rarity's heart skipped a beat when Cheerilee asked that question. Technically _yes_ she was, but things were a lot more complicated than that...

"Y-yes, she is..." Rarity said, deciding that she wasn't really lying.

"Do you know who her birth parents are?" Cheerilee asked. Damn it, Rarity thought, quit asking so many hard questions!

"No, we don't," Rarity said, "We just sort of... found her..."

"Ah, I see," Cheerilee said nodding, "Well, her dream could have been a repressed memory then."

"A repressed memory?" Rarity asked, "But she was an infant when we found her."

"That doesn't mean that she wouldn't have memory of her parents," Cheerilee said, "In fact, some ponies believe that most of one's personality is based off of what they witness as a baby. Perhaps something tragic happened to her biological father, and she's been experiencing those memories in her dreams."

"I see..." Rarity said looking to the side. She wasn't even sure if Sweetie Belle _had_ a biological father.

"It could also be hormones," Cheerilee said, "Sweetie Belle seems like an early bloomer. How old is she?"

"Around ten," Rarity said.

"Ah, that's early, but not too early. You might be having 'the talk' with her soon," Cheerilee teased.

Rarity laughed, "Yeah, I just might..." just not the talk _you're_ thinking about, Rarity thought.

"If anything changes, let me know, alright?" Rarity asked.

"Of course. Have a good day, Rarity."

"You too, Cheerilee."

Rarity walked out of Cheerilee's office and began walking to Sweetie Belle. She and her new "friends" were sitting under a tree talking about something, but she wasn't close enough to hear it.

"Do I tell her now?" Rarity asked herself, "How do you tell somepony _that_, though?"

When she was a few feet away from them, Sweetie Belle noticed her. She hugged both of them (which threw Rarity for a loop) and then walked over to her sister.

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" Sweetie Belle asked sadly.

"No, you're not in trouble," Rarity said, "But I would like to talk to you about some things, okay?"

Sweetie Belle nodded and waved one last time to her new "friends" before walking with Rarity to their house.

"Cheerilee told me that you've been having trouble in school," Rarity said.

"She did?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Apparently you've lashed out at a few of the other students," Rarity stated, "You're usually so much better tempered, Sweetie Belle."

"I..." she looked like she wanted to say something, but she clammed up immediately, "I'm sorry."

"Oh, there's no need to apologize. Honestly, the mind of a young mare is quite complicated. Why, I punched a colt in the face once when I was ten just because he was staring at me."

Sweetie Belle laughed a bit, "You _punched _someone?"

"I may be a lady, but that doesn't mean I can't fight if I have to. Though _that_ time I didn't really have to. Poor thing just had a crush on me."

"I see..." Sweetie Belle said.

"Does somepony have a crush on you?" Rarity asked.

"Not that I know of," Sweetie Belle said, "Though Button Mash seems to be sitting closer to me in school these days."

"Oooh, do _you_ have a crush on him?" Rarity asked.

"Ew, no!" Sweetie Belle said, "He's a total geek!"

Rarity laughed, happy that her sister was still in there. That only made it harder to tell her the truth though.

"Sweetie Belle."

"Yes Rarity?"

"Do you remember anything about your nightmare from last night?"

Sweetie Belle froze looking down. Rarity stopped and turned to her sister, who looked like she was ready to cry at any moment.

"Sweetie Bel-"

"I don't want to talk about it," Sweetie Belle said suddenly, pushing past Rarity and walking into the house. Rarity ran inside after her, but heard the door to her bedroom slam shut before she could get inside. Rarity calmly walked to her room and knockd on the door.

"Sweetie Belle? Are you okay in there?"

"I said I don't wanna talk about it! Go away!" Sweetie Belle shouted.

"Alright, I won't push you. If you do want to talk though, I'm always ready to listen, okay? I love you, Sweetie Belle."

Rarity walked downstairs, deciding she needed professional help for her sister. With Twilight taking another leave for Canterlot though, she had no idea who could help her sister.

"I could!"

"Huh?!" Rarity exclaimed, turning to the window and seeing Pinkie Pie standing there waving to her.

"Hiya Rarity!" Pinkie Pie said gleefully.

"Oh Pinkie Pie, it's just you," Rarity said calming her heart down, "Um, you could _what_ exactly?"

"Help your sister, duh," Pinkie Pie said as if it were obvious.

"How did you know that my sister needed help?" Rarity asked, almost regretting it immediately.

"Oh, that's easy. I just read the narrative. That SapphirreLibra3 can really write!" Pinkie Pie said.

"Um... narrative... what?" Rarity asked, "And who the hell is SapphireLib-"

"So what's wrong with Sweetie Belle?" Pinkie Pie said, immediately changing the subject, "Is she coming down with a bad case of the Atma Virus?"

"Um, no."

"Is she becoming a Maverick? I really hope not!" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I... don't know that that is, but I don't think so-"

"Oooh! Oooh! Did she just find out that she's actually a near godly fire bird alien that fled her world before it was destroyed and is now hiding out in the body of our Sweetie Belle who is suffering from amnesia but can turn into a red armored super hero by shouting 'Transcode 666 Zero'?"

Rarity looked at Pinkie Pie like she was crazy before shaking her head and answering her question, "No, she isn't any of those things. She's just having really bad nightmares, and she's having trouble in school with her peers."

"Oh, why didn't you say so?" Pinkie Pie asked. Rarity had to fight the urge to run over there and choke the mare standing by her window.

"Pinkie Pie, this is serious," Rarity said, "I'm really worried about Sweetie Belle."

"I know this is serious. That's why I'm _super_ serious, see?" Pinkie Pie's expression suddenly turned into a comedic frown, "See? Totally serious."

Rarity sighed looking down, "I appreciate the gesture, Pinkie Pie, but I really think-"

"You don't have to thank me, Rarity. What are friends for?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Um, I didn't-"

"Just bring Sweetie Belle over to my place tomorrow. I'd love to do it now, but I need to get Rainbow Dash. She's going to help me make cupcakes," Pinkie Pie said, for some reason giving Rarity the most distant sense of dread.

"Um, okay?" Rarity said watching Pinkie Pie bounce away. Good news, she had someone who was willing to talk to Sweetie Belle. Bad news, if Sweetie Belle didn't need a therapist now, she _would_ need one after this meeting...

* * *

Since the following day was a Saturday, Rarity and Sweetie Belle were able to make it to Sugar Cube Corner really early. Sweetie Belle of course was less than enthusiastic about this visit. Truth was, so was Rarity, but for a completely different reason.

"I'm fine though," Sweetie Belle complained, "I don't need to talk to anypony."

"Honestly, I'm not too sure about that. Now, you don't have to talk to me, but those nightmares have me worried. As does your mood."

"Rarity..." Sweetie Belle said looking to the side. Rarity knelt down in front of her and put a hoof on her shoulder.

"No matter what, I'm always on your side. You know that, right?" Rarity asked.

"Y-yeah... I know..."

"So there's nothing you could tell me that would turn me against you. No matter what it is, you're my little sister," she said.

Sweetie Belle nodded and walked into Sugar Cube Corner. Rarity sighed to herself, realizing that Sweetie Belle wouldn't tell her anything yet. She decided to wait at a table inside. Hopefully Pinkie Pie could actually help her.

* * *

"Here, have a seat, Sweetie Belle," Pinkie Pie said, pointing to the couch in the living room. She herself was sitting in another pink chair off to the side of it.

Sweetie Belle sat down, and for a second she looked down awkwardly. Why was she here? It wasn't that she didn't like Pinkie Pie, because she did. She was just weird. She knew things that she shouldn't, she was always talking about "episodes" and "chapters", and she could do things that a normal pony shouldn't be able to do, like stopping in mid air even though she didn't have wings.

Why were they're so many scary ponies in Equestria? Twilight the mad scientist librarian, Diamond Tiara the sociopath, Fluttershy the now bride of chaos now that she married Discord, and Pinkie Pie the... what_ever_ she was.

And now there was herself, the machine that looked and acted like a pony. Faust she hoped Pinkie Pie didn't know about that.

"Know about what?" Pinkie Pie asked, scaring Sweetie Belle out of her skin.

"Um, nothing..." Sweetie Belle said, her "heart" racing, assuming she even had one.

Pinkie Pie nodded thoughtfully and started jotting down something in her notebook, "So, Rarity tells me that you've been having intense mood swings."

Oh, now they were mood swings? Geez, why was Rarity such a drama queen?

"I'm not having mood swings," Sweetie Belle said, "I'm just in a bad mood these days..."

"Oh, and why's that?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Look, you're Rarity's friend, and I appreciate that, but I don't need to talk to anypony," Sweetie Belle said harshly. Once she saw the look of shock on Pinkie Pie's face she knew she might have gone too far, "Sorry..."

"No need to aplogize," Pinkie Pie said waving it off, "But you're right, I am Rarity's friend. As her friend though, I know when she's being overly dramatic, and when she's genuinely concerned. Does this have anything to do with the incident during the talent show?"

Sweetie Belle froze, remembering the moment she first saw her metallic skeleton. But this went much deeper than finding out that she was some robot. When she thought about it, that didn't bother her as much as she thought it would. She admitted to herself that it didn't help her mood.

"I don't really know what's bothering me," Sweetie Belle said honestly, "I'm going through a lot of changes though..."

"Ooh, like growing wings?" Pinkie Pie asked out of nowhere. Sweetie Belle didn't know if she was trying to make her laugh, or if she was being serious.

"Uh, no..." Sweetie Belle said, "I wish though..."

"Well, how are Apple Bloom and Scootaloo handling the changes?"

Sweetie Belle looked away, suddenly feeling really dark, "They don't even know about them..."

"You haven't told them?" Pinkie Pie asked raising an eyebrow.

"No, and why should I?!" Sweetie Belle exploded, "They don't care about me anyway! Now that they have their Cutie Marks I'm jus-" Sweetie Belle stopped herself as Pinkie Pie slowly nodded.

"Hm... now we're getting somewhere," Pinkie Pie said, "Do you resent them?"

No, is what she wanted to say, but now that she thought about it, she actually _did_ feel sort of angry about the whole thing. She realized that there was no point in denying it, so she took a deep breath and decided to open up just a bit.

"Am I a bad pony for being upset?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Not at all," Pinkie Pie said, "It's okay to feel jealous. What's not okay is holding that over their heads. It's not their fault that they got their Cutie Marks after all."

"So it's my fault for not knowing _my _special talent..." Sweetie Belle said sadly.

"No, I didn't mean that. What I mean is that they weren't trying to abandon you. It just happened at the right time for them. The right time will come for you though, you'll see."

Sweetie Belle wanted to believe that. That was why she was meeting up with...

Oh shoot! She remembered that she was supposed to be meeting Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

"I just remembered, I'm going to be late meeting up with my friends," Sweetie Belle said getting up.

"Okay, that's enough for today," Pinkie Pie said writing something in her notebook, "Tell Apple Bloom and Scootaloo I said hi, okay?"

Sweetie Belle had enough of a mind to say that she wasn't going to meet Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, but she didn't want things to be more complicated. Instead, she simply nodded and trotted out to the cafe section, where she saw Rarity waiting for her.

"Um, I promised my friends I'd meet up with them," Sweetie Belle said. Rarity put down her cup of tea and sighed.

"Was Pinkie Pie helpful?" Rarity asked.

"Sort of... yeah... I guess..." Sweetie Belle said looking away.

"By friends, do you mean the other Crusaders, or the ones who gave you those clip on earrings?"

"Does it matter which friends I go to see?" Sweetie Belle asked. Rarity pursed her lips and got out of her chair, kneeling down to Sweetie Belle's level.

"Now Sweetie Belle, you know I'm always on your side," Rarity said, "If there's anything bothering you still, you can tell me."

"Right now, the only thing bothering me is that I'll be late," Sweetie Belle said. Rarity looked down sadly.

"Well, I'll leave it be. Have fun, okay?"

Sweetie Belle nodded and left, immediately making her way to the bridge, where they always met. Hopefully she wouldn't be too late.

* * *

"Well, did she say anything?" Rarity asked Pinkie Pie immediately after Sweetie Belle left.

"She didn't say anything about the nightmares," Pinkie Pie said, "But she's definitely hurting."

Rarity sighed, "But you don't know from what?"

"No, but I have my suspicions," Pinkie Pie said looking in her notebook, "I took a lot of detailed notes."

Rarity looked at the notebook, and saw nothing but silly doodles. Why did she expect anything else from Pinkie Pie?

"Based off of these," Pinkie Pie said, "I can tell that she's really frustrated about something."

"Well, I can tell that, but she's not opening up to me," Rarity said really frustrated.

"If there's something you're hiding from her, you should tell her," Pinkie Pie said seriously, catching Rarity's attention, "Secrets are worse the longer you hide them."

"Pinkie..." Rarity felt herself cringe a bit, looking at Pinkie Pie's now piercing blue eyes. Almost immediately though, she blinkied and returned back to her cheerful self.

"While you're here, why don't you test out the cupcakes Rainbow Dash helped me make," Pinkie Pie said hopping into the kitchen, "Dashie had a lot to do with these, so I'm _really_ curious as to how they turned out."

Rarity tried the rainbow frosted (of course) cupcakes. They were pretty good actually. _Too _good, "What recipe did you use?" Rarity asked.

"Oh, that?" Pinkie Pie said giggling, "If I told you, then I'd have to kill you."

She was silent for a good few seconds, but then both mares laughed. Silly Pinkie Pie, always pulling pranks.

Even still, she would be calling Rainbow Dash when she got home, just to make sure she was home...

**No, this isn't the world of Cupcakes or Friendship is Witchcraft. This is the canon universe, as such Pinkie Pie is just being Pinkie P-**

**Pinkie Pie: HI SAPPHIRELIBRA3!**

**SapphireLibra3: AHHHH! Pinkie Pie?! Why are you in my room?!**

**Pinkie Pie: I just wanted to say how happy I am that you decided to get back to writing! Are you going to get back to Inner Demons 2?**

**SapphireLibra3: Um... I will eventually...**

**Pinkie Pie: Good! That was a good story! Well, I'm going to raid your fridge. See ya next chapter! Or is it in a few more chapters...?**

_**Walks away into the kitchen**_

**SapphireLibra3: Pinkie Pie! Get back into the story! PINKIE PIE! Sorry happy people, but I gotta catch a pink pony and stop a possible time space continuum catastrophe!**

_**Runs into the kitchen**_

**SapphireLibra3: PINKIE PIE!**


End file.
